Beggars outside OLGC after Mass? (Arlington, Vienna: hotel, to buy, legality)

[Alltheusernamesaretaken]

Are there rules about begging on private property?
Week after week there are beggars holding signs that they are poor and need money;
they stand there after Mass on the pathways to the parking lots, and usually have kids with them.

There are plenty of organizations to help people who are truly in need,
and I can't believe people actually leave Mass and hand these people money
(No it's not being "Christian," it's being suckered.)

Is there some legality to this?

[OrangeFish]

No idea what or where OLGC is, but perhaps raise the issue with your church folks/pastor.

At our church (in Arlington), there are "No Solicitation" signs posted in the parking lots. (We tend to get our cars littered with political paraphernalia vs. having to deal with panhandlers, though.)

[pamnbam]

Depends on your church. After Mass once, there was a well-dressed woman with her three kids holding up a sign asking for money.

The begging situation you describe likely isn't nearly as bad as St. Pat's in NYC.

Perhaps you could tell the person to visit the church office during business hours during the week. Most parishes in the DoA have some sort of social assistance programs, even if the pastor gives them enough money for just a hotel for the night...

[CAVA1990]

How do you know it's not Jesus giving you the opportunity to demonstrate how you followed what you probably heard about 15 minutes before during mass?

[HereinVA]

Originally Posted by OrangeFish

No idea what or where OLGC is, but perhaps raise the issue with your church folks/pastor.

I'm guessing Our Lady of Good Counsel in Vienna?

And I agree with OrangeFish, ask the church office if these people are there with permission, and if not can something be done about it?

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by HereinVA

I'm guessing Our Lady of Good Counsel in Vienna?

And I agree with OrangeFish, ask the church office if these people are there with permission, and if not can something be done about it?

Better yet, why don't you tell the priest how you feel about that during your next confession? If I were he I'd probably give you a nice lecture on the thief in the night parable and about 100 Hail Marys for penance.

Add another 100 Acts of Contrition.

[Lucky★]

Clearly, I am not the only cafeteria Catholic using C-D.

[VTHokieFan]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

How do you know it's not Jesus giving you the opportunity to demonstrate how you followed what you probably heard about 15 minutes before during mass?

Solid chance that any money you give to them potentially funds any addiction they might have. I usually offer to buy homeless people a meal.

[Flamingo13]

I've had people ask me for money to buy a sandwich - I offer to buy them a sandwich but say I won't give them money....they walk away.

[Alltheusernamesaretaken]

Originally Posted by VTHokieFan

Solid chance that any money you give to them potentially funds any addiction they might have. I usually offer to buy homeless people a meal.

Bingo!
And the times I've offered food to them, I've been rejected.

I figured it wouldn't take long for the rightgeous to come to this thread and preach about
how unChristian it is to miss the opportunity to enable these people.